Wethersfield Council Reverses Wilkus Farm Decision

A garage, house and barns are on the Wilkus Farm property. (Jim Welch / @ctnewshound )

February 05, 2013|By CHRISTOPHER HOFFMAN | Special To The Courant, The Hartford Courant

WETHERSFIELD — The town council Monday night rescinded a controversial land swap involving part of the Wilkus Farm open space property, instead voting to sell the parcel to a farmer.

Winning bidder Richard Nowak offered $205,000 and plans to rehabilitate a home and barns on the property.

"It was a great outcome tonight," said Councilor Paul Montinieri, a Democrat, who had opposed the land swap. "It was the public will that did it. I'm very happy with it."

The council approved the measure 7-1, with Deputy Mayor John Console, a Republican, the only dissenter. Console said he "had no problem" selling the property to Nowak, but objected to a provision to use the proceeds to buy development rights for land that the town would have received in the swap.

"These are dollars that should be going to open space that anyone can use," Console said. "The town will get nothing in return."

The town sought to sell about two of Wilkus Farm's 81 acres, at 138 Willow St., to avoid the upkeep on the house and barns on the property.

After months weighing three proposals, the council last month voted 5-4 to swap the property for land on 214 Goff Road. Richard Disdelle of RDJ Development Company has approvals to build four houses on the Goff Road parcel and planned to construct six homes on the Wilkus Farm land.

Goff Road area residents had urged the council to do the swap to preserve the largely undeveloped land and spare them from extensive blasting needed to build homes there.

The swap sparked a storm of public protest, with residents packing the next council meeting to criticize the deal. Opponents said that the swap contradicted the purpose of the Wilkus Farm purchase, which was to preserve open space and farming.

Democratic town councilors, who along with GOP Mayor Donna Hemmann opposed the swap, also condemned the decision.

Further fueling the controversy was a petition calling on the council to approve the swap so that the George D. Ritchie Soccer Club could possibly rent 10 adjacent acres for soccer fields. Republican Councilor Jim McAlister, a coach for the club, signed the petition, and Republican Councilor Stathis Manousos is president of the league.

Both voted for the swap, saying it was the best deal for the town and denying the petition played any role in their decision. The club has said it had nothing to do with the petition.

After listening to more than an hour of public comment, virtually all of it critical, Manousos and McAlister said last month they were reconsidering their votes.

Although he switched his vote Monday, McAlister reiterated that he supported the swap to save open space.

"I looked at the vote as preserving opening space," he said.

Members of the public praised the council for reversing its decision.

"Thank you very much for your careful consideration of all the opinions you heard," Eileen Candels said.

Town Manager Jeff Bridges will now negotiate a final deal subject to council approval.